NCSL Podcasts

By NCSL

What's NCSL Podcasts about?

Learn about the people, policies and politics of America's state legislatures with NCSL's three podcasts: "Our American States," "Across the Aisle" and the special limited series "Building Democracy."

Download our free app to listen on your phone

NCSL Podcasts episodes:

04.21.2024
New Career Paths for Young People | OAS Episode 208
Two legislators from Indiana and Maryland with deep expertise in work-based learning programs such as apprenticeships and credential programs sat down to discuss how programs in their states are offering youth more post-secondary options.
04.17.2024
Kentucky Momnibus Tackles High Maternal Death Rate | Episode 14
Public health officials and lawmakers in Kentucky had been trying to address the complex issue of maternal mortality for years. Rep. Kimberly Moser had long been a neonatal and intensive care nurse, and knew the struggles around maternal health in...
04.07.2024
Checking in on State Budgets | OAS Episode 207
It's budget season in state legislatures, and we sat down with two experts on state budgets to discuss the key steps in the budgeting process, revenue estimates and the overall state of state budgets going into the new fiscal year.
03.31.2024
Tackling fees and Fines in the Court System | OAS Episode 206
Two legislators join the podcast to discuss why they sponsored legislation to abolish fees and fines for juveniles in the court system, and why those changes were needed.
03.17.2024
States, Feds Work Together to Prevent Overdoses | OAS Episode 205
Two experts on the nation’s drug overdose crisis join the podcast to discuss how state and federal governments are tackling the problem that has led to more than 110,000 deaths in the 12-month period that ended last September. The vast...
02.25.2024
States Take Up Social Media Regulation | Episode 13
State legislatures in blue and red states are taking up measures to protect children on social media, especially because Congress has been unable to agree on solutions and the evidence of harm to young users continues to mount. It's...
02.18.2024
States and the Deployment of New Electric Transmission Lines | OAS Episode 204
Part of modernizing the nation’s electric grid involves adding long-distance transmission lines. On this episode, we talk with Melissa Birchard, a senior adviser at the U.S. Department of Energy, who explained the need for new transmission lines to bring renewable...
02.04.2024
Exploring Federalism | OAS Episode 203
Don Kettl, an expert on federalism, joined the podcast to discuss the current state of power sharing between the state and federal governments, why he sees states increasingly at the center of domestic policymaking, and how he expects the balance...
01.28.2024
Texas Senator Breaks Records in Bipartisan Style | Episode 12
Texas Senator Judith Zaffirini has broken state records by a long shot. She has cast more than 72-thousand consecutive votes. She has had a perfect attendance record—except that one time she skipped on purpose to make a point. She has...
01.21.2024
Exploring Innovative Paths to Pay for College | OAS Episode 202
Our two guests on this episode—Ethan Pollack of Jobs for the Future and Andrew Smalley of NCSL—discuss how a set of innovative financial tools are helping students pay for college and other post-secondary education, and the role legislatures can play...
01.07.2024
A 2024 Legislative Preview | OAS Episode 201
Tim Storey, NCSL’s CEO, joined the podcast to discuss the year ahead in legislatures and what we can expect in policy and politics in 2024. He noted that budgets remain in good shape and he expects technology, especially artificial...
12.17.2023
Getting Ready for Primary Season | OAS Episode 200
NCSL elections expert Ben Williams joins the podcast to discuss primaries just in time for the start of the 2024 contests. Williams explained the different approaches states take to the primary system and some of the election history that brought...
12.03.2023
Remote Work and State Tax Systems | OAS Episode 199
On this episode, we explore the tax ramifications for states of remote work. We’re joined by Charlie Kearns, a tax attorney, and James Privette, until recently a legislative specialist in NCSL’s Washington, D.C., office. They discussed how remote work affects...
11.27.2023
NCSL Legislator Police Academy Sparks Bipartisanship | ATA Ep. 11
NCSL’s yearlong Legislator Police Academy brought together lawmakers from very different backgrounds to work across the aisle and across the country on policy topics related to police accountability. In this episode, we learn how the legislators put aside seemingly insurmountable...
11.19.2023
Emergency Medicine in Rural America | OAS Episode 198
Two experts in emergency medical services joined the podcast to discuss a variety of challenges to providing care in rural areas, including long waits for ambulances and a serious workforce shortage. They also talked about the role of legislatures in...
11.05.2023
Understanding the Drivers of Health Care Costs | OAS Episode 197
Steep increases in health care costs in the commercial health market—the portion of the market not including Medicare and Medicaid—are the focus of this episode. Analyst Alyssa Vangeli explains what's driving the increases, where the greatest increases are occurring and...
10.29.2023
Bruce Mehlman on Politics, PowerPoints and the New Gilded Age | LTIS Episode 24
On this episode, Tim Storey sat down with Bruce Mehlman, founder of Mehlman Consulting, a D.C-based bipartisan lobbying firm. Mehlman and Storey talked about the forces shaping our political world, the turn to populism in recent years in numerous countries...
10.22.2023
Wolves Spark Urban vs Rural Divide in Colorado Episode 10
Summary: Sometimes, the aisle lawmakers work across isn’t the one that separates the two parties. It’s the divide between rural and urban. That’s what happened in Colorado when urban voters narrowly passed a plan to reintroduce the endangered gray wolf....
10.15.2023
Disease Forecasting, Nowcasting and Scenario Modeling | OAS Episode 196
On this podcast, we sat down with Dr. Roni Rosenfeld, a computer scientist and a leader in the field of disease forecasting. Rosenfeld explained how researchers working on disease forecasting have taken weather forecasting as their model in creating tools...
10.01.2023
Cyberattacks and the Energy System | OAS Episode 195
Two cybersecurity experts join the podcast to discuss ways to safeguard energy systems from attacks, and the role state legislatures play through their oversight of public utility commissions. Since the start of 2021, states introduced nearly 500 bills and passed...
09.24.2023
ATA Swift Action on Ticketing | Episode 9
Taylor Swift is making a big splash on stages this year, and also in state legislatures. That's because ticket sales devolved into online chaos, highlighting the problem of bots buying up tickets faster than humanly possible and putting them up...
09.10.2023
An Unblinking Focus on State News | LTIS Episode 23
On this episode, host Tim Storey sat down with Reid Wilson, founder and editor of the state-focused Pluribus News platform, to discuss how states are tackling some of their toughest issues.
09.03.2023
An Unlikely Pairing of Comedy and Policy | OAS Episode 194
Tane Danger, co-founder of Minnesota’s Theater of Public Policy, is the keynote speaker at this year's professional development seminar for two legislative staff groups. On the podcast, he discussed how the skills you need for improv, such as careful listening,...
08.20.2023
The Evolution of 911 | OAS Episode 193
On this episode, we sat down with Brian Tegtmeyer, the National 911 Program Coordinator, to discuss the nationwide emergency call system. He discussed the advantages of Next Generation 911, the progress states have made in adopting to these new standards...
08.13.2023
Talking Politics With Lou Jacobson | LTIS Episode 22
Host Tim Storey’s guest on this episode is Lou Jacobson, a senior correspondent with PolitiFact and a longtime reporter with extensive experience covering politics and policy at the state and federal level. Storey sat down with Jacobson to discuss the...
08.06.2023
Charitable Nonprofits Working With States | OAS Episode 192
The charitable nonprofit sector of the economy is substantial, employing about 10% of the workforce and contributing about 6% of GDP. To better understand how charitable nonprofits work with legislatures and the states, we sat down on this episode with...
07.30.2023
Kentucky Backs Bipartisan Election Reform | Episode 8
As the pandemic raged during 2020, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, and Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, were required by law to team up on the question of whether to postpone the election. They went much further,...
07.16.2023
Following the Rules: Ethics and the Legislature | OAS Episode 191
On this episode, three experts on lobbying and compliance with ethics rules sat down to discuss how ethics rules have evolved and how attitudes about ethics rules have changed.
07.09.2023
Keeping Up With Redistricting | OAS Episode 190
Redistricting of state and congressional legislative districts happens every decade following the census. But once those maps are drawn and implemented, there are still ongoing court cases and state legislation that affect redistricting. Just in recent weeks, the U.S. Supreme...
07.02.2023
Darcy Luoma on Coaching, Facing Trauma and Resilience | OAS Episode 189
Darcy Luoma, a coach and consultant, will speak at the Legislative Staff Breakfast at NCSL’s Legislative Summit in Indianapolis in August. Before founding her consulting business, Luoma had extensive experience working on Capitol Hill, working on two presidential campaigns and...
06.25.2023
Arizona Finds Common Ground on Water | ATA Episode 7
ATA Episode 7 SUMMARY The Colorado River is a key source of water in Arizona, and it’s dwindling in the face of a mega-drought now in its second decade. Arizona lawmakers are working across the aisle to find new water supplies...
06.18.2023
The Growing Nursing Shortage | OAS Episode 188
Even before the pandemic, there was a growing shortage of registered nurses in the majority of states. From 2020 to 2021, during the height of the pandemic, more than 100,000 registered nurses left the workforce, the largest exodus in at...
06.11.2023
AI and the Legislative World | LTIS Episode 21
On this episode, host Tim Storey dives into the world of artificial intelligence with Alex Wirth, the co-founder and CEO of Quorum, a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs tech platform that organizations use to manage engagement, launch advocacy campaigns and keep...
06.04.2023
New Options for Retirement Savings | OAS Episode 187
As many as 56 million private sector workers in the U.S. lack access to a retirement savings plan through their jobs. The subsequent lack of retirement savings could cost federal and state governments hundreds of billions of dollars by 2040. Joining...
05.31.2023
Exploring Policy Solutions to Mental Health Treatment | OAS Episode 186
Millions of Americans experience mental health problems and frequently experience challenges finding treatment, including in the workplace. That’s the context for national task force— Mental Health Matters: National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy—funded by the U.S. Department of Labor...
05.28.2023
Parties Join Forces to Free Alabama Constitution of Racist Wording | ATA Episode 6
Until recently Alabama's constitution still had racist language from the original document written in 1901, led by an avowed white supremacist. Though the provisions weren't operable today, plenty of people have wanted them gone for years. But it wasn't easy...
05.14.2023
Cedric King: A Lesson in Resilience | LTIS Episode 20
On this episode, Host Tim Storey talks with Cedric King, a retired army master sergeant, speaker, and author, who will be the keynote speaker at NCSL’s Legislative Summit in Indianapolis in August. King joined the army in 1995, eventually rising to...
05.07.2023
The “Why” of Working for the Legislature | OAS Episode 185
This is Legislative Staff Week 2023 at NCSL, and we sat down with two staffers to talk about why people come to work in the legislature and why they stay. Our guests are Anne Sappenfield, director of the Wisconsin...
04.30.2023
A Long View on Staff | LTIS Episode 19
Host Tim Storey’s guest for this episode is Leonor Ehling, the executive director of the Center for California Studies at Sacramento State University. She is also co-director of the Legislative Staff Management Institute (LSMI), which is a flagship program that...
04.23.2023
Fifth Graders Fight for New Mexico State Aroma - ATA Episode 5
Young students in New Mexico made history when they convinced lawmakers that the smell of roasting chilis should be the state's official aroma. They researched, wrote letters, testified in hearings and celebrated when the Governor signed the bill at their...
04.16.2023
Childhood Vaccinations in Post-Pandemic America | OAS Episode 184
Childhood vaccinations in the U.S. were steady for the decade before the pandemic, but have shown a decline for the past couple of years. We sat down with Dr. Pam Shaw, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Kansas...
04.09.2023
Young People in the Justice System | OAS Episode 183
Legislatures in recent years have focused considerable attention on bills related to juvenile crime. In 2022, for example, there were nearly 750 bills related to juvenile justice introduced in state legislatures and 189 of those measures were enacted. While there...
03.26.2023
Coaching, Leadership and Legislative Staff | LTIS Episode 18
On this episode, host Tim Storey sits down with Paul Danczyk, director of Executive Education in Sacramento for the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy. As important for NCSL, Danczyk is the co-director of the Legislative...
03.19.2023
Exploring Bipartisanship - ATA Episode 4
At a time when evidence of a deep divide shows up every day on social media and in the news, a growing number of national organizations are dedicated to promoting bipartisanship and civility. They offer legislators fresh ideas about working...
03.12.2023
Remembering Bobby Silverstein and the Fight for Social Justice | OAS Episode 182
On this podcast, we depart from our usual format to remember Robert “Bobby Silverstein,” a legal powerhouse in the world of disability rights and often called the behind-the-scenes architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Silverstein died in late 2022 and...
03.05.2023
Coping With the Cost of College | OAS Episode 181
The cost of college poses a major challenge to families. The average net price of attending a public four-year institution, including living expenses, is nearly $20,000 a year. There are more than 40 million students who took out loans to...
02.26.2023
The Critical Role of Supporting State Governments | LTIS Episode 17
Tim Storey, NCSL’s CEO, and David Adkins, executive director and CEO of the Council of State Governments (CSG), sat down to talk about state government on this episode of the podcast. CSG works with all three branches of state...
02.12.2023
Education Report Is Call to Action | OAS Episode 180
We sat down with three guests on this podcast to discuss a new education report, “The Time is Now.” The report, based on a two-year study as well as previous research, looks at what high-performing school systems in other countries...
02.05.2023
Elections Legislation: Recap and Preview | OAS Episode 179
On this episode, we sat down with Amanda Zoch, an elections expert at NCSL, for a rundown on the trends in legislation affecting elections over the past few years. Zoch discusses how the pandemic affected access to early voting and voting...
01.29.2023
Alabama and Race | ATA Episode 3
Just a couple of weeks after George Floyd was killed by a police officer and a video of his death sparked massive protests, a group of white Alabama Republicans asked Black Democrats to meet in a church and talk. No...

What's NCSL Podcasts about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

NCSL Podcasts episodes:

New Career Paths for Young People | OAS Episode 208

Kentucky Momnibus Tackles High Maternal Death Rate | Episode 14

Checking in on State Budgets | OAS Episode 207

Tackling fees and Fines in the Court System | OAS Episode 206

States, Feds Work Together to Prevent Overdoses | OAS Episode 205

States Take Up Social Media Regulation | Episode 13

States and the Deployment of New Electric Transmission Lines | OAS Episode 204

Exploring Federalism | OAS Episode 203

Texas Senator Breaks Records in Bipartisan Style | Episode 12

Exploring Innovative Paths to Pay for College | OAS Episode 202

A 2024 Legislative Preview | OAS Episode 201

Getting Ready for Primary Season | OAS Episode 200

Remote Work and State Tax Systems | OAS Episode 199

NCSL Legislator Police Academy Sparks Bipartisanship | ATA Ep. 11

Emergency Medicine in Rural America | OAS Episode 198

Understanding the Drivers of Health Care Costs | OAS Episode 197

Bruce Mehlman on Politics, PowerPoints and the New Gilded Age | LTIS Episode 24

Wolves Spark Urban vs Rural Divide in Colorado Episode 10

Disease Forecasting, Nowcasting and Scenario Modeling | OAS Episode 196

Cyberattacks and the Energy System | OAS Episode 195

ATA Swift Action on Ticketing | Episode 9

An Unblinking Focus on State News | LTIS Episode 23

An Unlikely Pairing of Comedy and Policy | OAS Episode 194

The Evolution of 911 | OAS Episode 193

Talking Politics With Lou Jacobson | LTIS Episode 22

Charitable Nonprofits Working With States | OAS Episode 192

Kentucky Backs Bipartisan Election Reform | Episode 8

Following the Rules: Ethics and the Legislature | OAS Episode 191

Keeping Up With Redistricting | OAS Episode 190

Darcy Luoma on Coaching, Facing Trauma and Resilience | OAS Episode 189

Arizona Finds Common Ground on Water | ATA Episode 7

The Growing Nursing Shortage | OAS Episode 188

AI and the Legislative World | LTIS Episode 21

New Options for Retirement Savings | OAS Episode 187

Exploring Policy Solutions to Mental Health Treatment | OAS Episode 186

Parties Join Forces to Free Alabama Constitution of Racist Wording | ATA Episode 6

Cedric King: A Lesson in Resilience | LTIS Episode 20

The “Why” of Working for the Legislature | OAS Episode 185

A Long View on Staff | LTIS Episode 19

Fifth Graders Fight for New Mexico State Aroma - ATA Episode 5

Childhood Vaccinations in Post-Pandemic America | OAS Episode 184

Young People in the Justice System | OAS Episode 183

Coaching, Leadership and Legislative Staff | LTIS Episode 18

Exploring Bipartisanship - ATA Episode 4

Remembering Bobby Silverstein and the Fight for Social Justice | OAS Episode 182

Coping With the Cost of College | OAS Episode 181

The Critical Role of Supporting State Governments | LTIS Episode 17

Education Report Is Call to Action | OAS Episode 180

Elections Legislation: Recap and Preview | OAS Episode 179

Alabama and Race | ATA Episode 3